Configuration of the box is very easy. Being a bloke I didn't look at the manual and just installed the software on my mini-ITX PC. Zone Alarm made a few requests to allow the server access to the network and then it is simply a matter of telling the software about your music, video and picture directories. This is harder than it should be because the system searches for content for you and builds a list of directories with suitable content. You can't add the root content folder directly and it won't appear in the list if it doesn't have content in at the top level. Easily fixed though by temporarily moving a file or two.
Then you plug in the box and switch it on. It was up and running within 10 seconds. The supplied leads are not particularly useful as the SCART lead has another SCART plug and two phono audio sockets on the end. Fortunately I had a suitable lead that converted the SCART socket to S-video and stereo audio phono plugs, to plug straight into my Home Cinema Amplifier.
The user interface is pretty basic and designed to be simply to operate. It is a bit slow to respond to the IR remote but seems to store key presses so if you know where you want to go, you can press the keys quickly and it will catch up. The configuration menu allows you to change various settings such as composite or S-video output, 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio, etc. You can also change the media directories from the unit should you want to. This strikes me as a bit of a security issue, especially if you network is not firewalled.
One flaw I found was that the 16:9 video output doesn't transmit a 'wide' signal so my auto-switching TV will not switch to 16:9 mode automatically. The unit also has a configurable flicker reduction. Lowering this value from the default setting caused noticable flicker on screen. Not really a problem but the unit doesn't seem to use the whole screen estate. When viewing pictures, there is a noticable black border around the image.
Music sound quality is very good. Navigation is not brillaint and you can't queue things up or generate and edit playlists. These are best done on a PC with WMP or a similar tool. You can play a whole directory though. Once music has started, you can go and view pictures too.
The picture browser is based upon a simple display of folders and thumbnails. You can jump pages or simply scroll down with multiple key presses. The slideshow is the best way to view multiple images in a folder. On entering a folder with lots of images, the unit freezes for about 4-5 seconds.
I've not managed to get any video to work as my camera and other devices don't produce it in MPEG formats.
The box is physically very small. It is a shame that it includes another plug-based PSU, which is always on and drawing power. It comes with a small stand that allows it to sit vertically in you cabinet, which is a good space saving feature.
| Brand | Hauppauge |
|---|---|
| Package Dimensions | 30.4 x 23.4 x 7.6 cm; 980 g |
| Item model number | 1004 |
| Manufacturer | Hauppauge |
| Form Factor | TV Box |
| Processor Count | 1 |
| RAM Size | 16 MB |
| Tuner Technology | Digital TV |
| Item Weight | 980 g |
| Guaranteed software updates until | unknown |
